Wear Your Helmet

I was riding last night along the River Parks on a club ride when a young guy (mid 20s) rode by on a
full suspension C'dale mountain bike (no helmet or anything). I didn't think much of it. He was
pogoing and his tires were humming. He was going over our group speed of 16mph.

We came up on him later. Somehow he had managed to get thrown from his bike and smacked his head on
the pavement (no helmet). It looks like someone had splattered red paint all over the trail. We had
to call 911 because he was incoherent.

As we rode away, someone said "I am glad we have helmets." I could not agree more.

Derek

 

Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
masquerades as common sense. I would hate to have to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.

"Derek Swift" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was riding last night along the River Parks on a club ride when a young guy (mid 20s) rode by on
> a full suspension C'dale mountain bike (no helmet or anything). I didn't think much of it. He was
> pogoing and his tires were humming. He was going over our group speed of 16mph.
>
> We came up on him later. Somehow he had managed to get thrown from his bike and smacked his head
> on the pavement (no helmet). It looks like someone had splattered red paint all over the trail. We
> had to call 911 because he was incoherent.
>
> As we rode away, someone said "I am glad we have helmets." I could not agree more.
>
> Derek

 

"Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
> masquerades as common sense. I would hate to have to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.

So you think that if this guy had worn his helmet that he STILL would have been incoherent?

 

My father, in his late 70s, rides almost every day. A regular mountain bike. He is on a county
maintained paved bike trail in South Florida, when he ducked under a leafy branch, stuck his head
back up, smack into a 6" thick limb hanging over the course.

He ruined a perfectly good helmet!

Thanks God!

Bob

BethF wrote:

> "Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
> > masquerades as common sense. I would hate to have to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.
>
> So you think that if this guy had worn his helmet that he STILL would have been incoherent?

 

You're an angry sombitch Doug. Get that burr outta your saddle blanket and chill dude.

"Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
> masquerades as common sense. I would hate to have to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.
>
>
> "Derek Swift" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I was riding last night along the River Parks on a club ride when a young guy (mid 20s) rode by
> > on a full suspension C'dale mountain bike (no helmet or anything). I didn't think much of it. He
> > was pogoing and his tires were humming. He was going over our group speed of 16mph.
> >
> > We came up on him later. Somehow he had managed to get thrown from his bike and smacked his head
> > on the pavement (no helmet). It looks like someone had splattered red paint all over the trail.
> > We had to call 911 because he was incoherent.
> >
> > As we rode away, someone said "I am glad we have helmets." I could not agree more.
> >
> > Derek

 

Beth:

I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them my "cycling leathers." Maybe
it'll catch on.

Seriously though, a bike helmet probably would *not* save your life in an otherwise fatal accident,
but there isn't much doubt that it reduces the severity of cosmetic injuries and other traumas. I
went down on a moped sans helmet, and spent the next six weeks telling people why my head was
bandaged. A few years later I went down on a motorcycle at 65 mph wearing a helmet, leathers and
gloves and just had a painful impact injury to my knee, but virtually no other visible sign of the
accident. No road burn, other than a small patch on my elbow where the leather was torn. (The helmet
was a little more substantial than a cycling helmet, though. But the same controversy exists in the
motorcycle community.)

No, I'm not in favor of a mandatory helmet law. Maybe mandatory lederhosen, though.

--
--Scott [email protected]ail.com Cut the "tail" to send email.

"BethF" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> "Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
> > masquerades as common sense. I would hate to
have
> > to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.
>
>
> So you think that if this guy had worn his helmet that he STILL would have been incoherent?

 

"Freewheeling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Beth:
>
> I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them my "cycling leathers."
> Maybe it'll catch on.

Send pictures. Need fodder for blackmail.

> Seriously though, a bike helmet probably would *not* save your life in an otherwise fatal
> accident, but there isn't much doubt that it reduces the severity of cosmetic injuries and other
> traumas.

I agree, however it sounds like in THIS case, it would have helped.

> I went down on a moped sans helmet, and spent the next six weeks telling people why my head was
> bandaged. A few years later I went down on a motorcycle at 65 mph wearing
a
> helmet, leathers and gloves and just had a painful impact injury to my
knee,
> but virtually no other visible sign of the accident. No road burn, other than a small patch on my
> elbow where the leather was torn. (The helmet
was
> a little more substantial than a cycling helmet, though. But the same controversy exists in the
> motorcycle community.)

The problem is that a relatively small bump to the skull can cause brain injury. If wearing a little
helmet can prevent it, then Why the hell not?

 

"BethF" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Send pictures. Need fodder for blackmail.
>
>
>>
>

If fodder is unavailable try modder.

 

Derek Swift <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I was riding last night along the River Parks on a club ride when a young guy (mid 20s) rode by on
> a full suspension C'dale mountain bike (no helmet or anything). I didn't think much of it. He was
> pogoing and his tires were humming. He was going over our group speed of 16mph.
>
> We came up on him later. Somehow he had managed to get thrown from his bike and smacked his head
> on the pavement (no helmet). It looks like someone had splattered red paint all over the trail. We
> had to call 911 because he was incoherent.
>
> As we rode away, someone said "I am glad we have helmets." I could not agree more.

My garage has a set of stairs against the left wall that lead to a landing and then they turn right
and on up. This cuts through the left side of the garage. If the car is in there, you have to lean
your head far to the right as you walk by. Yesterday I was walking too close and WHAM!!!!!!!!, I
smacked my head dead on the corner! Good thing I had just got home from my bike commute and was
wearing my helmet. Not to trivialize the injuries of the C-Dale's rider, but had I not been wearing
my helmet, I would have been one hurting dude. I know there are those who will now advocate (with
much sarcasm) wearing helmets in garages. They are welcome to stop by and try it sans helmet.

 

Freewheeling wrote:
>
> ... No, I'm not in favor of a mandatory helmet law. Maybe mandatory lederhosen, though.

Do the lederhosen have hip padding?

I am thinking that I should wear hip and elbow pads. To understand my reasoning, try cornering a
lowracer harder and harder on a wet parking lot and observe which two body parts make the hardest
contact with the ground when the traction limit of one of the tires is exceeded.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket, Earth Cycles Sunset and
Dragonflyer

 

"Freewheeling" skrev ...
> Beth:
>
> I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them my "cycling leathers."
> Maybe it'll catch on.

Kewl...we can learn to yodel too. Keep the bears away if you're in sunny Alaska and save me the cost
of an Airzound. (which would be illegal here anyway).

> Seriously though, a bike helmet probably would *not* save your life in an otherwise fatal
> accident, but there isn't much doubt that it reduces the severity of cosmetic injuries and other
> traumas.

Doctors here estimate that about half the bikers that died of headinjuries would have survived with
a helmet. It does actually work. But noone mentioned mandatory helmetlaws did they? Its your noggin
so you decide whether to wear something on it.

(and before anyone goes "Dont come running to me when you get hurt" I A: wear a helmet and B: pay
for healthcare through taxes in Denmark) ;o)

Mikael

 

Tom Sherman wrote:

> I am thinking that I should wear hip and elbow pads

A lot of the racers are wearing elbow pads or guards these days. I could have done with some in
Manchester last year when I decked the Baron and grazed my arm. It wouldn't have been so bad had Mrs
Larrington not attacked it with a door, resulting in its becoming infected and me spending the
entire Easter weekend in bed with a temperature high enough to fry eggs on my forehead :-( I will be
getting some for this season, I think.

Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

My brother has went down twice om his semi lowracer hurting his left elbow in the same spot both
times. In time he will grow his own elbow padding..

For the record, i have gone down twice too without visible damage doing 10 times his distance (well,
OK, visible damage to the clothes, front skewer and seat). I sometime think of him as D. Duck ;-)

Torben

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Freewheeling wrote:
> >
> > ... No, I'm not in favor of a mandatory helmet law. Maybe mandatory lederhosen, though.
>
> Do the lederhosen have hip padding?
>
> I am thinking that I should wear hip and elbow pads. To understand my reasoning, try cornering a
> lowracer harder and harder on a wet parking lot and observe which two body parts make the hardest
> contact with the ground when the traction limit of one of the tires is exceeded.
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket, Earth Cycles Sunset and
> Dragonflyer

 

"Freewheeling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Beth:
>
> I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them my "cycling leathers."
> Maybe it'll catch on.
>
>

Scott,

All older Bavarians that I saw in their lederhosen were bow-legged. Perhaps someting to do with the
way that leather rubbed the inside of their thighs. So, at your suggestion, I could not help but
picture a bunch of old farts (self included) riding around bow-legged on recumbents. Now, that would
be something.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Salt Lake City

 

RE/
>when he ducked under a leafy branch, stuck his head back up, smack into a 6" thick limb hanging
>over the course.
>
>He ruined a perfectly good helmet!

Been there, done that....twice.
-----------------------
Pete Cresswell

 

"Freewheeling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Beth:
>
> I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them my "cycling leathers."
> Maybe it'll catch on.
>
> Seriously though, a bike helmet probably would *not* save your life in an otherwise fatal
> accident, but there isn't much doubt that it reduces the severity of cosmetic injuries and other
> traumas. I went down on a moped sans helmet, and spent the next six weeks telling people why my
> head was bandaged. A few years later I went down on a motorcycle at 65 mph wearing a helmet,
> leathers and gloves and just had a painful impact injury to my knee, but virtually no other
> visible sign of the accident. No road burn, other than a small patch on my elbow where the leather
> was torn. (The helmet was a little more substantial than a cycling helmet, though. But the same
> controversy exists in the motorcycle community.)
>
> No, I'm not in favor of a mandatory helmet law. Maybe mandatory lederhosen, though.
>
> --
> --Scott [email protected] Cut the "tail" to send email.
>
>
> "BethF" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet." The conspiracy of ignorance
> > > masquerades as common sense. I would hate to
> have
> > > to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.
> >
> >
> > So you think that if this guy had worn his helmet that he STILL would have been incoherent?
> >
> >
After more than a decade of 5,000+ km. per year and no accidents,Why wear a helment? I started to
question myself on helmet wear. Than one day riding on a bike path i went over the bars (DF) and
cracked the helmet in two places. Result one seperated shoulder no concussion and a very scared 7
yr. old grandauther(Riding her own bike).I know without a doubt I escaped serious injury. Also my
sweetheart was scared enough, What if grandpa was laying there unconscious.I always wear a
helmet,should you wear one? that's up to you,Free choice is what it's all about!

 

Spare the cows. Ride a trike instead.

 

crispy wrote:
>
> Spare the cows. Ride a trike instead.

Preferably one with a seat pad cover made from a natural vegetable fiber such as industrial hemp.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket, Earth Cycles Sunset and
Dragonflyer

 

there is nothing wrong with free choice. The only people who should wear a helmet are those who feel
that they have something worth protecting. IMHO Those who don't wear them are showing that they have
nothing very important there to protect anyway. I would never ride a foot without my helmet. A
helmet saved me once. If others dont, thats their right. I just hope that I dont happen along and be
the first one to find them after bad head first fall . Harry VR40

[email protected] (Von) wrote:
>"Freewheeling" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:<[email protected]>...
>> Beth:
>>
>> I've been thinking about getting a pair of lederhosen and calling them
my
>> "cycling leathers." Maybe it'll catch on.
>>
>> Seriously though, a bike helmet probably would *not* save your life in
an
>> otherwise fatal accident, but there isn't much doubt that it reduces the severity of cosmetic
>> injuries and other traumas. I went down on a moped sans helmet, and spent the next six weeks
>> telling people why my head was bandaged. A few years later I went down on a motorcycle at 65 mph
>> wearing
a
>> helmet, leathers and gloves and just had a painful impact injury to my
knee,
>> but virtually no other visible sign of the accident. No road burn, other than a small patch on my
>> elbow where the leather was torn. (The helmet
was
>> a little more substantial than a cycling helmet, though. But the same controversy exists in the
>> motorcycle community.)
>>
>> No, I'm not in favor of a mandatory helmet law. Maybe mandatory lederhosen, though.
>>
>> --
>> --Scott [email protected] Cut the "tail" to send email.
>>
>>
>> "BethF" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> > "Doug Huffman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> > news:[email protected]...
>> > > Perhaps the subject should have been "D. S. will wear his helmet."
The
>> > > conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. I would hate
to
>> have
>> > > to add a.r.b.r. to the hell-mutt rule.
>> >
>> >
>> > So you think that if this guy had worn his helmet that he STILL would
have
>> > been incoherent?
>> >
>> >
>After more than a decade of 5,000+ km. per year and no accidents,Why wear a helment? I started to
>question myself on helmet wear. Than one day riding on a bike path i went over the bars (DF) and
>cracked the helmet in two places. Result one seperated shoulder no concussion and a very scared 7
>yr. old grandauther(Riding her own bike).I know without a doubt I escaped serious injury. Also my
>sweetheart was scared enough, What if grandpa was laying there unconscious.I always wear a
>helmet,should you wear one? that's up to you,Free choice is what it's all about!

Harry VR40/oss

 

On 9/16/2001, I was crossing a street leading to the Brooklyn Bridge on my BikeE when I was hit by
an emergency vehicle returning from the World Trade Center site. My head went right through the
windshield and I was thrown quite a distance by the impact. I sustained lots of minor cuts and
bruises but, miraculously, no serious injuries whatsoever. Without my helmet, it would have been a
different story. These days, I often advise folks who ride without head gear to change their
attitudes.

PC BikeE AT Lightning Stealth

Derek Swift <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I was riding last night along the River Parks on a club ride when a young guy (mid 20s) rode by on
> a full suspension C'dale mountain bike (no helmet or anything). I didn't think much of it. He was
> pogoing and his tires were humming. He was going over our group speed of 16mph.
>
> We came up on him later. Somehow he had managed to get thrown from his bike and smacked his head
> on the pavement (no helmet). It looks like someone had splattered red paint all over the trail. We
> had to call 911 because he was incoherent.
>
> As we rode away, someone said "I am glad we have helmets." I could not agree more.
>
> Derek